


Tainted Love

by secretaccountformysecretships



Category: Mianite - Fandom
Genre: Blood Mage Tucker, Mianite AU, Multi, Nature Witch Jordan, Nvidia Waglington, Realm of Mianite, Tainted Sonja, Wizard Tom Cassell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-28 07:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7631260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretaccountformysecretships/pseuds/secretaccountformysecretships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The man that answered the door was well known to Jordan. He was dressed in red, from his thick metal armor to his dark leather pants. The only skin he had exposed was his face and his arms. His arms were covered with stained bandages, an even purer red than any of his garments.<br/>“Jordan? What are you doing here?” Tucker pulled the door open wider, inviting him inside. “Um, watch where you step. The floor’s wet.”<br/>Jordan grimaced at the blood that had dampened the stones. “I’ll stay out here, thanks. I’m not going to stay long. My lady sent me.”<br/>“Why?” Tucker sounded uncharacteristically nervous. “What does Lady Ianite want with me?”<br/>Jordan shrugged. “She just gave me a message for you. She wouldn’t tell me what it means.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tainted Love

**Author's Note:**

> I saw some art for the Mianite fandom by @valarauco-6 on tumblr with au Magic sources for the five heroes. And then this happened.
> 
> Go check them out, their art is absolutely amazing, seriously.

Jordan walked down the passageways, his green cloak trailing along the damp stones. A few blades of grass attempted to push their way up in between the heavy rocks as he stepped on them, but wilted and died as soon as he had gotten a foot farther in his journey. The only living things, other than Jordan himself, were the flowers that bloomed from his right eye and pushed through the missing lens of his red sunglasses, their bright colors shining in the dim light.

Jordan didn’t like the halls of the Blood Mage. Oh, there were places he disliked more, such as the Tower, wherein the wizards dwelt. As a nature witch, he and the Wizards had a, ah, tense relationship. He got along alright with a few of them, yes, but for the most part, they tended to avoid each other. And the Tower was not even his least favorite place, merely his second least favorite place. His least favorite place was the land where all nature went to curdle and die. It was the opposite of what Jordan loved. And yet, it was held so dear by the one that he had pledged his service to.

But, yes, the dark, gritty halls of the Blood Mage were definitely preferably to the Tower.

And anyways, even if Jordan would prefer to be elsewhere right now, he was here on business more important than himself. He knocked on the door to the altar room.  
The man that answered the door was well known to Jordan. He was dressed in red, from his thick metal armor to his dark leather pants. The only skin he had exposed was his face and his arms. His arms were covered with stained bandages, an even purer red than any of his garments.

“Jordan? What are you doing here?” Tucker pulled the door open wider, inviting him inside. “Um, watch where you step. The floor’s wet.”

Jordan grimaced at the blood that had dampened the stones. “I’ll stay out here, thanks. I’m not going to stay long. My lady sent me.”

“Why?” Tucker sounded uncharacteristically nervous. “What does Lady Ianite want with me?”

Jordan shrugged. “She just gave me a message for you. She wouldn’t tell me what it means.”

“Ah.” Tucker swallowed. “What- what is it?”

“She said,” Jordan cleared his throat, and channeled the power of his goddess, Lady Ianite. His voice overlapped with that of a young woman’s, and the flowers from his eyes started to glow, emanating a faint purple. “‘Mage, be careful of whose business you meddle in. The one you chase has come from the depths of my darkness.’” When he came out of the spell, he coughed, rubbing at his throat, fingers fiddling with the choker of living greens that wrapped around his neck. He looked up, and he saw how pale Tucker had gotten. “Tucker, what have you gotten yourself into?”

The Blood Mage blinked, then his gaze became forcibly blank, though he still appeared shaken. “It’s nothing. I can handle this myself.”

“Are you sure?” Jordan eyed the other man with suspicion. “Because it sounds to me like you’re heading down a path against my lady, and I’d strongly advise you avoid that. She is more powerful than either of her brothers like to admit.”

Tucker pursed his lips. “It’s not what it sounds like, alright? A few days ago I was just trying to figure out the, uh, effects of blood magic on tainted persons.” He shrugged under Jordan’s suddenly darkened stare. “I stopped. I do have a heart, believe it or not.”

“The blood you so frequently shed from your veins certainly indicates you do, yes, but do you have any brain to go along with it?” The nature witch shot back, glaring. “The tainted may not be the sort that you or I would prefer to spend our time with, but they are sacred to Lady Ianite. They are cursed with her burden, and so they are under her protection.”

“Look, I realized my mistake, alright? So stop bothering me. I heard your message, heeded it, and now your work here is done. Go away.” Tucker slammed the door in Jordan’s face, not even bothering to see if he headed back down the tunnel in order to exit the complex. He didn’t need to. Now that there was no point in staying, Jordan was glad to leave in favor for the outside world.

Although he’d only been inside for a few minutes, stepping out into the sun made him feel free, like he’d been trapped underground for days. He took a deep breath of fresh air, washing away the smell of blood from his nose.

But his happiness was short lived. With the knowledge that Tucker had, and potentially, despite what he may have claimed, may still, go to the nearby tainted village and use the populus as guinea pigs for his spells, Jordan could not sit by idly and leave them on their own. He had to at least warn them of the danger.

Which meant heading into the taint, the only place he hated more than the Tower of the wizards.This was not going to be fun.

Jordan was glad that, at the very least, his lady’s blessing, combined with his magic, allowed small patches of green grass to appear where he stood. They vanished, much like the grass in Tucker’s halls, mere seconds after he stepped away, but they provided a nice amount of insulation from the treacherous taint. He appreciated that.

He walked into the village. The tainted people stared at him for a few moments, as it took their minds longer to recognize him than they otherwise would have, in the normal world. But after a few minutes, a small crowd formed around him, a crowd full of people whose skin was covered with various amounts of purple goo, that seemed to ooze across their skin, though it never fell. Some were practically engulfed in it. Some had only a few splotches. The more covered the person was, the slower they moved, the slower they reacted, the slower they thought. Jordan hated coming here. It reminded him of the terrible darkness that lay in his lady’s mind.

“Wi-itch.” The leader, an old man who had lived his life in the tainted village, who was, at this point in his life, simply a purple humanoid with some splotches of skin on him, greeted Jordan. His voice was slow, but Jordan was patient. He had learned that the trait of patience was needed when dealing with the tainted. “W-hy, h-av-ve y-you co-me?” His voice was merely a gurgle of consonants and vowels.

“I came to warn you,” Jordan spoke slowly, not as slowly as the leader had, but slow enough that most would be able to keep up and then explain to those that didn’t. “That a blood mage has been rumored to be testing his magic out on tainted persons. This mage is defying the laws of Lady Ianite. I was going to ask your permission to lay out some sigils, that should alert me if he approaches your village.” He waited for the townspeople to take this in. Eyes widened, hushed murmurs spread through the crowd.  
There was one reaction, though, that caught him off guard. A small laugh. He glanced around and found the person that had been giggling.

It was a woman, approximately his age, who was less tainted than most, but more than some. Her two hands were fully purple, and her face and hair were starting to show signs of the fungus. But her eyes were still a pure, shining green, as opposed to the grey that the eyes of so many others had turned, so she couldn’t have been that far gone. Yet, at the same time, her dress was a deep, dark purple, like it had been consumed by taint completely, even while she hadn’t. 

“What do you find funny about this?” He had to ask, frowning.

She smiled, and he noticed that her teeth were razor sharp. He realized, suddenly, that this villager was not fully human, which probably accounted for why it was taking her so long to be encompassed by the taint’s effects. Along with her fangs, she also had two brown ears, like a fox’s, that pointed upwards from the top of her hair.

The woman batted her eyelashes, smirking in amusement, but didn’t reply. He noticed the purple growing in her mouth, a sure sign that her vocal cords had probably already been covered in taint, and she couldn’t speak, but it didn’t matter to him. He’d warned the other townspeople. If one got herself killed by being an idiot, it wasn’t his problem.

“Wit-tch,” the leader spoke again. “You ma-ay pl-lace you-r sym-mbo-ols.” Then he slowly turned away, departing. The crowd took this as a sign to disperse, and Jordan was left alone by the well.

He watched the strange girl depart. He wondered why she had thought the whole situation was so funny. If he were in her position, he’d be far more concerned.  
But that was a question for another day. For now, he had to make the protective symbols around the town, and then depart from the taint as fast as he could.  
Of course, he couldn’t have a bit of peace. When he returned to his hut in the woods, there was a wizard waiting for him. A very specific wizard, at that.

Thomas Syndicate, Jordan’s self-declared ‘best friend’.

For once, Tom didn’t seem focused on antagonizing Jordan. He was much more concerned with glancing back and forth between the forest surrounding him, and the direction of the Tower of Wizards. Under his violet robe, which should’ve clashed terribly with his green skin, yet somehow came across as quite tasteful, Jordan could just make out his tapping feet. Every so often, he would reach up and tug nervously at his tie.

Tom was a strange one. He was almost never seen without his wizard robes, and yet, at the same time, he tended to be wearing a barely visible, but clearly well-tailored and cared for suit underneath them. He was a wizard, a group that was almost entirely godless, but he was a devout follower of the god Dianite. Jordan was never quite sure what to make of the strange man.

He turned and caught sight of Jordan, hovering uncertainly near the edge of the clearing. “Sparklez!” He walked over and grabbed Jordan’s wrists. “I need your help! There’s this, this thing, at the the tower, and its immensely powerful, and we don’t know what to do with it, but it says it’s looking for you. Please, you have to help us!” His inky black eyes pleaded with Jordan, and it was hard to say no.

But he couldn’t just let this opportunity pass without taking advantage of it. “Oh, so now the ‘mighty wizards’ want my help.” He pulled his hands away. Tom’s face fell. “What do I get out of it?”

Tom bit his lip, his brow furrowing together. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting Jordan to ask for any payment. “Honorary title of Wizard? I could probably swing that one.”

“I don’t want to be a wizard.” Jordan rolled his left eye, and the flowers blooming from his right twisted upwards. “I’ve told you time and time again what I want from you guys.”

Tom hesitated. “I don’t think the higher ups will appreciate me saying you can have that.”

“It’s just a library. All I want to do is look at some books. I’m not going to take them anywhere.” Jordan crossed his arms. “No deal, no help.”

Tom muttered something under his breath, something Jordan only vaguely recognized as a prayer to Dianite. “Fine. Whatever you want. I’ll convince them to allow it, somehow.”

Jordan smirked, feeling the grass underneath him growing just a bit wilder, and just a bit more lush. “Thank you.”

“You’re a real pain, you know that?”

“Lead the way to the Tower, please.” Was all Jordan said in response, his smirk growing even wider.

There was one thing good about the Tower of the wizards; the immense library, which contained more books of various types of magic, including extremely ancient nature witchcraft. Jordan had been itching to get his hands on them for years now, but had never been allowed access. And none of his attempts to break into the Tower had gone over well.It wasn’t like the wizards were even reading the books on witchcraft. They all thought of it as an inferior form of magic, though they also weren’t willing to tell anyone why exactly it was that they thought this. It was extremely infuriating.

Tom didn’t help. For all that he liked to claim he was Jordan’s best friend, he was also extremely skeptical of the powers of witchcraft, and seemed to think that the fact that he was a wizard should impress Jordan. He often tried to use his magic to inspire awe in those with none, and he treated the nature witch the same way.

Jordan often felt like Tom didn’t respect him. It hurt him quite a lot, because, at this point, Tom had managed to become one of the few people Jordan let into his life, other than his lady, her descendants, and a few other stray persons he’d met in his lifetime, such as Tucker, or his old friend Waglington.

Tom, however, had practically forced himself into Jordan’s life, with less resistance than Jordan would like to admit. He came in, flirting with anything that walked on two legs, especially Jordan himself, and complaining about how, although he adored all the attention and acclaim he got from being a wizard, he hated all the rules. And, somehow, Jordan had found him charming, in an annoying sort of way. He let him hang around the hut, talked to him about gods and goddesses, and their effects on the various creatures in the nearby area, and even showed him a bit of witchery.

Then, Jordan had stopped talking to Tom, at least when he could avoid it.As he followed the man to the Tower, memories of the few months they had spent in each other’s presence swam through his head, and he forced down a grimace and pushed them aside. That wasn’t important right now. What mattered was that he was finally getting a chance to get inside the Tower’s library, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it.

But apparently, Tom didn’t realize Jordan didn’t want to talk. “Have you been avoiding me?” He was uncharacteristically quiet, and didn’t look at Jordan as they walked. “‘Cause, if you have, it’d be nice to at least know why, ya know?”

Jordan didn’t reply, just looked down to his feet as they walked. Unlike Tom, who had nice, sturdy, black leather boots, Jordan was barefoot, to better feel and connect with the wilderness around him. He watched his feet as they took one step after another, on a route that he had memorized.

Tom sighed. “M’kay. Whatever. I get it. You don’t want to talk to me.”

Jordan felt a twinge of guilt. “Look, Tom-”

“It’s okay, Jordan. I’m used to it.” The wizard said offhandedly, in a completely serious tone. That made Jordan feel even worse. “No one else ever liked me anyways. I didn’t actually expect our friendship to last.”

The nature witch bit his lip. “It’s not like that, okay? I don’t dislike you.”

“Then what is it?” Tom asked, clearly frustrated, but still refusing to even spare Jordan a glance as they trudged through the undergrowth.

“I-” Jordan took a deep breath. “Look, Tom, I just didn’t get the feeling you ever talked to me because you actually cared about me, and my life. You-” He ran a hand through the messy hair he kept tucked away under his cloak’s hood. “You would go on for hours about yourself, and what was happening at the Tower, and I would listen, because I cared about you. But as soon as I mentioned anything happening in my life, or what I was interested in, you zoned out.”

“No I didn’t.” Tom muttered, now looking up at the sky as they walked, avoiding looking at Jordan as hard as he could.“Really? What’s my favorite color?”

Tom scoffed. “Yeah, okay, that’s unfair. You don’t know my favorite color! Why should I know yours?”

“Your favorite color is blue, Thomas.”

Tom’s jaw snapped shut. Then, after a few moments of utter silence, with the exception of the breeze and the moving branches, he spoke again in a quiet tone. “Okay, maybe I’ve been a shit friend. But I can try to be better. I promise.” Jordan just hummed, not agreeing to anything yet. He rarely trusted people to hold to their word.  
They had reached the base of the tower. Tom muttered a spell that took off some of the protective enchantments, and then the pair crossed the threshold.Wizards were slumped over inside, like they had drunk too much and passed out, but there was no reek of alcohol, or of any sort of other substances, even magic, that Jordan could find. He paused, then continued on after Tom. He recognized these symptoms. And they spelled trouble.

Waglington was a good friend, and a slightly less good person. He had devoted his life to tame a magic more powerful than the gods, and, last Jordan had seen him, he had gotten to a point where he was either very close to succeeding, or very close to combusting.

It appeared that he had succeeded. There was no trace of magic around the unconscious wizards, which meant there was no power that the gods could reverse, or conquer. It seemed that Wag had managed to pull mortals into a slumber so deep that they became invisible to the gods.

Waglington himself was sitting in front of a desk in the hall, pouring over a large tome, almost the size of the tabletop. His grey cloak pooled on the ground around him, the red trimming looking like rivers of scarlet running across mountains of soft stone. As he read, he made notes in the air, a strange, unfamiliar green magic making unreadable green symbols which hovered in the air around him. When he sensed the approaching witch and wizard, he turned, and his face split into a grin.“Sparklez! Just the man I wanted to see! You have a much better understanding of runes than I do. What does this mean?” He reached out to grab Jordan’s hand and pull him to the table.

Before he could touch him, Tom stepped in the way, black eyes blazing. “Don’t touch him, monster.”

Wag was taken aback for a second, then he started to laugh. “And who, exactly, are you?”

“Thomas,” Jordan put his hand on the wizard’s shoulder. “Um, I’m aware that this isn’t a good situation for you and the other wizards, but I know him.” Tom gave him a betrayed look. “But, uh, thanks. For the sentiment.”

“Hmph.” Tom glared and shifted, giving the pair some space, but still slightly in front of Jordan.

“Do you want me to put him out?” Waglington asked amicably, raising his hand, which various light green cubes were amassing around.

“No!” Jordan glared, pulling Tom back until he was to the side of the conversation. “Look, Wag, what are you doing? If the wizards find out I know the person who put them all to sleep, I’ll never get a chance to look around the library.” He snapped out, fingers clenching. The flowers in his eye were trembling.

“Just read what you want now. They’re all asleep. Duh.” Wag waved a hand, and the library doors flew open, inviting Jordan inside. Then he sat down and continued to look at the book in front of him.

He stared at the doors for a moment, tempted, but forced himself to look away, and focus on his friend instead. “Wag, what have you become, now? You’re not a mortal, not anymore.”

Wag grinned up at him from his seat. “You’re right. I’m not mortal anymore. I’m a vessel.”

Jordan’s eye widened, and he saw Tom take a step back. Vessels were extremely rare. They were the mortal hosts of demons, who granted them immortality and incredible powers in exchange for what was essentially a pawn in the world.“A vessel to, ah, whom, exactly?” Jordan found himself asking, his voice far less steady than usual.

“Nvidia.”

Jordan swallowed thickly, his hand reaching up to fiddle nervously with the flowers on his choker. “Ah. Yes, that’s- that’s about what I thought, when I saw the sleeping wizards.” His breath was shallow. Nvidia was one of the most infamous demons, the demon of disconnection, from the gods, the world, from life itself. Seeing his friend, having finally achieved his dream, but in such a dark way, tore at Jordan’s insides.

“I’m not gonna be here for long, I’m afraid. I’m here for business. A blood mage, up to no good, paid me for some help with some spells. And to do that, I need this book.” Wag shrugged uncaringly. A nagging fear started to worm around Jordan’s chest. “Here, tell you what, I’ll even let the wizards wake up, just for your sake. And I’ll leave the library open for you.” He stood up, grabbing his book. “Until next time, it was nice to see you again, Jordan.” He gave Tom a raised eyebrow. “And nice to meet you, ah, what was your name, Thomas?” And with that, he seemed to almost disappear, though Jordan had been paying just enough attention to notice his vision darkening and lightening around the edges when his old friend disappeared. He’d put them to sleep, for long enough to give the appearance of his vanishing into thin air.

Jordan glanced at the library, tempted, but forced himself to turn away. He wasn’t going to go in there if he wasn’t properly given permission. He wanted to prove to the wizards that he didn’t need them.

When he walked out of the Tower, Tom followed him, in what seemed like a daze. He would’ve told the other man off, but after the way Tom had so readily gotten between Jordan and Wag, he couldn’t bring himself to. He might as well give Tom another chance. Besides, now was hardly the time to start an argument.

If, as Jordan suspected, Tucker and Waglington were working together, then he would need help with his problems anyways.

Things were quiet for a few weeks. Tom came by every other day, and talked to Jordan for a bit. He did seem to be making an effort to listen to Jordan, though the witch noticed several times when he slipped back into a slightly bored expression. He had even take some flower seeds, of the no magical variety, claiming that he wanted to start growing them. Jordan was fairly sure he wasn’t telling the truth. But he was trying, at least. That was an improvement already.

The wizards, other than Tom, didn’t have a clue as to what had happened, other than the fact that a very powerful entity had intruded upon their Tower. Tom had pondered, aloud, more than once, that perhaps Tucker had something to do with the vessel who had appeared, but he was less suspicious and more concerned. Tom had been friends with Tucker for too long to really mistrust him.

Jordan, for his part, didn’t share his knowledge on the subject, not yet. But he had asked Tom to get in contact with three other wizards that Jordan knew, and to ask them to prepare to fight the magic of a blood mage and a vessel, just in case the circumstance arose.

Then, after more than a month of calm, Jordan felt a disturbance in his magic. The sigils he had placed around the tainted village were detecting an intruder. He sent a message to Tom and his three other wizard contacts, telling them to meet him there. Then he departed, to see what was happening.

The first thing he noticed was that the common area of the town was practically deserted. There were sigils, which Jordan recognized as the type that would repel non-magical persons from disturbing whatever was happening in the common. Jordan stepped over them easily, heading into the center.

In the middle of the field, Jordan saw a horrible sight. Tucker and Waglington, in full attire for a ritual, towering over a tainted woman whose blood was dripping into an enchanted bowl.

“What the hell is going on here?” Jordan strode forwards, and reached out to grab the purple hand of the woman, to pull it away from the makeshift altar.

At the same time, Waglington grabbed his arms and pulled him back, away from intervening. “Don’t interrupt.” He hissed out quietly, pulling Jordan away. “This is very delicate!”

“What are you doing?” Jordan struggled to break out of the vessel’s grip. He could remember a time when Waglington wouldn’t have had a chance to restrain him in the first place, much less hold him still for long. Jordan had always been far stronger than Wag. But now, with the power of a demon, and not just any demon, but Nvidia, Waglington was able to easily keep him in place.

Tucker and the woman didn’t answer, both focused entirely on their task. Jordan suddenly recognized the woman. She was the fox lady that had laughed at Jordan’s preparation to protect the town. Her blood, which was a dull red-violet, mixed with the shining scarlet of Tucker’s blood. Waglington started to chant as the pair stood on opposite sides of the bowl.

“Hey! Get your hands off of him!” A shout came from across the field. Tom was charging down upon Wag, a spell already in his palms. Three familiar wizards followed him.

Waglington waved a hand, and the Wizards found themselves unable to move any farther forwards. Jordan could feel the vessel’s muscles straining with the effort. He kept struggling against his captor.

Just as Jordan managed to pull away from Wag, a bright red light burst out from Tucker’s chest, and, at the same time, a purple one burst from the tainted woman’s. They intertwined, and as they did, Jordan saw something that was both horrible and miraculous.

The taint started to retreat from the woman’s body, while, simultaneously, taint grew on Tucker’s body. His face was tinged purple, and some violet lichen was forming in his hair. But the woman was now free of taint. When the light disappeared, Tucker collapsed on the ground. He was exactly as tainted as she had been, before. The woman caught him, worry covering her expression.

“You didn’t tell me it would taint him!” She clutched the blood mage tight, glaring at Waglington. The taint must’ve been gone from her vocal cords, if she could speak once more.

“He told me not to.” Wag shrugged, releasing his hold over the wizards. “He knew you’d stop him.” The now free magical people were walking forward in shock, uncertain what, exactly, had just happened in front of them.

“Well he’s an idiot, then!” She looked down as Tucker’s eyes blinked open. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” she assured him, somewhat desperate sounding. “You’re- you’re okay.” Her voice was shaking.

He opened his mouth to say something, but only a crackle of sound came out. “S-s-so-on-nja-a.” He grinned up at her. “T-a-al-lk.” His voice was slower than that of the village leader’s.

“Yeah.” Sonja forced a smile, a few tears slipping down her face. “Yeah, Tucker. I can talk again. First time since we were kids, huh?” She leaned her forehead against his. “I’m not leaving you like this, alright? I’m still with you.” She pressed a kiss against the top of his head. Then she turned to Waglington. “Reverse it.”

“I can’t.” He said quietly.

She glared at him, eyes sharp as knives. “Why not?”

“Both of you have to consent to it. He wouldn’t. He doesn’t want you to stay tainted.” Waglington’s voice was soft and solemn, and far more tactful than Jordan could ever remember him being in the past.

Sonja’s hard expression cracked, and another tear slipped down her cheek. She glanced down at Tucker, whose head still rested in her lap. His face was stuck in an elated grin. Jordan had never seen him so happy. It made his heart hurt, to see what Tucker was willing to do for this woman.“Then- then spread it out. Half on me, half on him.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep, bracing breath, not looking at Tucker as his expression switched to one of disagreement. “Please. I can’t live knowing I did this to you. Please, Tucker.”

The tainted blood mage glanced at Wag with a question in his eyes. Wag nodded. Sonja helped him stand, and the stood on opposite sides of the bowl again.

This time, when Wag chanted, no one tried to stop him. The violet light came from Tucker now, and the scarlet from Sonja. Then, they intermingled, both turning a soft red-violet.

At the end of the ritual, Sonja’s hands were purple, and her mouth was slightly stained. Tucker’s face was still tinted, but his mouth had barely any violet at all.

Then they embraced, wrapping their arms around each other. Both of them had tears in their eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Jordan heard Sonja whisper. “If I had known what would happen to you, I wouldn’t have said yes.” Her voice was slow, but decipherable.

“Don’t apologize. Thank you. For letting me carry some of this burden.” Tucker murmured back. His voice, too, was at a half of it’s previous pace.

Jordan heard a sniffling sound from beside him, and felt someone take his hand, gripping it tightly. He glanced over and saw Tom, tears falling fast and thick from his eyes.

“At least now I have an excuse to move in with you.” Tucker added, grinning, as he pulled away from the embrace. He took Sonja’s hand as she laughed, and together, they walked away in the direction of the tainted houses.

The wizards, with the exception of Tom, collected themselves, shaken. “Well, um, that was,” Ifirez, one of the trio, cleared his throat noisily. “That was unexpected. We should probably be heading back to the tower.” He glanced at Tom and Jordan’s intertwined hands. “Uh, we’ll catch you later, Syndicate?”

Tom nodded, wiping away the last of his tears. The three wizards departed, leaving only one wizard, one witch, and one vessel alone in the tainted field.

“Well, now that I’ve done what I was paid for, I also need to be off.” Waglington nodded at Jordan and Tom. “Vessel business, you know?” And with that, he departed, once again dramatically producing the appearance of having vanished into thin air.

Jordan went to head home. Tom didn’t let go of his hand. He gave the wizard an exasperated look.

Tom sniffled once more. “It kinda makes you think.”

“About what?” Jordan asked, deciding to humor him.

“Love, and all that stuff.”

“No.” Jordan turned and started to walk away.

“Wait! Sparklez!” Tom grabbed his hand once more, pulling him to a reluctant halt. “I have something for you!” He pulled something out of his pockets, what looked like a small clay pot. “It, um, it might’ve gotten a bit crushed as I raced to your aid, but I was bringing it to you when you got here. You said your favorite color’s red, so-” he glanced down at the thing in his hands, and his face fell. “Um, you know what, nevermind.” He said glumly.

“What is it?” Jordan’s interest was peaked, and he pulled away Tom’s hands to see what was in the pot.

It was a flower, a beautiful one. It was red, with a mix of violet that was creeping over it, slowly. Half of the dirt in the pot had clearly been contaminated by the taint, but it added to the ethereal beauty. Jordan wondered if there was a way to get the flowers in his eye to look like it, without tainting them, that is.

“It was a red flower I grew, from those seeds, but I guess it got tainted on the way over here. I’m sorry.” Tom said despondently.

It looked like he was about to chuck the flowerpot away, but Jordan grabbed the pot and his hands before he could. “I love it.” He grinned at the wizard, before leaning and placing a small kiss on Tom’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Tom’s face lit up, and he absentmindedly touched the area where Jordan had kissed him. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Jordan glanced back in the direction that Tucker and Sonja had gone. “After all, what’s wrong with a little bit of tainted love?”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr


End file.
